Genital dermatoses in circumcised men: A cross-sectional study from Mashhad, Iran

Background: Knowledge of the frequency and distribution of dermatoses in the male genital area and the effect of circumcision on these two factors are helpful guides to a correct diagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of genital dermatoses in circumcised men.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on all circumcised men complaining about skin lesions in their genital area. Results: Overall, 355 men with skin lesions in their genital area were enrolled in this study. All of them were circumcised for religious reasons. The mean age of the patients was 31.4±11.5 years. Most skin lesions were seen in the age group 20-29 years (152 cases, 42%). Genital warts were the most common disease (60 cases, 16.9%) followed by dermatitis (38 cases, 10.7%), lichen planus (36 cases, 10.1%), and scabies (36 cases, 10.1%). The most common site for genital lesions was the penile shaft (155 cases, 43.7%). Genital warts were more common on the pubic area, penile shaft, and penoscrotal and peno-pubic junction. We did not observe any cases of balanitis in our study.Conclusions: Genital warts were the most common disease among our cases. Inflammatory dermatoses such as psoriasis and balanitis were less common in our population comparedwith other studies.